Ford executive runs quaint coffee shop

Mark Hanke has seen himself as an entrepreneur "since I was a Cub Scout," he said. "My mom made jewelry with stones and it was my job to collect stones for her business."

So even though he had more than two decades under his belt at Ford, when he saw an old barn for rent, he couldn't resist converting it into the only coffee/ice cream shop in his neighborhood. "I told myself that if I didn't do it, someone else would, and I would kick myself," he said.

"The advantage of starting your own business on the side is that it's a second stream of income just in case your 9-to-5 job disappears," he said. "It is a lot of work but most people can walk and chew gum at the same time."